Last week, the women known as NASA’s Hidden Figures, were honored with a Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony to celebrate their legacies and the achievements they made while working at NASA during the space race. The stories of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Dr. Christine Darden, along with the other women who played important roles during this exciting time in space history, were brought into the spotlight through Margot Lee Shetterly’s book, Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race which was quickly adapted into the blockbuster film, Hidden Figures. 

The book and film tell the stories of three Black women during the early 1960’s who, due to discrimination and racial segregation, were required to conduct their work in the background, unseen, while playing significant roles in driving progress in NASA’s popular space program with their brilliant skills in math, science and engineering. The film was received with much acclaim and their stories became inspiration for generations to come. Today, NASA continues to honor their stories and strives to make sure their legacy of inclusion continues and prospers. 

To honor the legacies of these women, government officials, family members and many others gathered in Emancipation Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C on September 18th to present the families of these remarkable women with Congressional gold medals. NASA photographers were on site and captured images from the event which you can find on NASA’s official Flickr site.

Check out the Flickr gallery from the day’s festivities and read more about the ceremony on NASA’s official website.

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